MSOE Rowing qualifies for IRA National Championships
| Published: 05/18/2012 |
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For the first time in the school’s history, the MSOE rowing team has qualified for the 2012 Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships to be held May 31 through June 2, 2012 on the Cooper River, Camden County, NJ. This past weekend, the MSOE lightweight fours placed second at the nationally renowned Aberdeen Dad Vail Championships with a time of 6:54.428, good enough to be one of the top ten boats in the nation invited to the IRA Nationals.
MSOE joins an elite list of schools, both academic and athletic in nature to participate in this national championship. Eighteen schools, including the Ivy league’s Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth and Brown, also known as national rowing powerhouses, have multiple boats participating in the eight, four, varsity, lightweight and freshman divisions, respectively. Only 24 schools will be represented at the event. MSOE has joined the University of Wisconsin as the only Midwest boats to qualify for the championships.
The Raiders will be represented in the lightweight fours competition by Jon Allen (stroke), Ben Lang (3 seat), Erik Winer (2 seat), Luke Engebretson (bow) and Rachel Connon (coxswain). MSOE rowing is coached by Chuck Stollenwerk.
2012 has been a banner year for the five year old MSOE rowing program. Along with the second place finish at the Dad Vail, the nation’s largest collegiate rowing event, the IRA National Championships is considered to be the most prestigious and elite collegiate varsity race in the country.
